Utah State University-College of Eastern Utah Top Questions

What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

Andi

One of the very first things I would say to my senior self is "Listen to mom and apply for scholarship applications! She knows what she's talking about!" I would also advise myself to take every single opprotunity that presents itself to you. If some friends invite you to go swing dancing, and you know that you have two left feet and would rather claw your eyes out than try swing dancing, go anyways. You would be surprised at how much fun you would have doing something you thought you would never try in a million years. Put yourself out there. Embarrass yourself. Everyone's too worried about embarrassing themselves, they won't even be paying attention to you. One last piece of advise I would tell myself is it's easy to pass high school. Make sure you take your studying very seriously in college. If you have a big test coming up in a few weeks, start studying now. Make time for studying every day, even if it's only for 30-60 minutes. You'll retain a lot more information by repetition than trying to cram everything two days before.

Trevor

Hey Trevor, Hey you! I have some great advise that I really hope that you will listen to since it is coming from your instead of your parents. The first bit of advise. Relax! You got this. Going to college and living in the dorms is great. It will give you the best experience. It will really honestly make you appreciate what your parents really did for you. You are going to meet some awesome people in college. New life long friends. You are going to be talked to like an adult by your professors and you are going to have so much respect for them for that. You are going to be able to be involved in fun activities. What ever you do, don't just sit in your dorm room and miss your friends at home. Get out!! Meet new people!!! You never ever know - you may be talking to the next President of the United States, or the next biggest star, or who knows, you may even meet your wife. but whatever you do, make sure you finish your education. Reach for the stars! You are going to learn great things!

Mindi

My college experience has been great! I love how helpful all of my teachers have been. Especially Dr. Earl. He is genuinely concerned about the students and he wants me to succeed. I have been involved in volunteer work for the SUN Center at Ceu so we have done things like singing at the Care Center, raking leaves, helping the boys and girls club build their float, and many other things. I love singing and the music program at Ceu is excellent! Russ WIilson is a very talented teacher. We just finished our production of the messiah. This is my second year here at Ceu and I do feel very involved. I am very involved at the Price Institute of religion where I have attened most of the classes offered there and I have been in charge of planning the activities each month. I feel like I have made an immense amount of friends at Ceu. I go to the Bdac and play racquetball and work out often. Basically anything Ceu has to offer I have taken advantage of. I love going to the sporting events and supporting our team especially during basketball season. A scholarship would be great!

Jessica

Dear Jessica, You need to start saving the money you get from work to go to college for your sophomore year. Just because mom and dad are going to support you financially for the first year doesn't mean you can waist it away. Fall semester of 2010 is coming up and there aren't very many jobs in Price (its in eastern utah). You know mom and dad will still help you when you need it but you need to get the job at the library for the next year so you can provide for yourself due to mom and dad cutting you off financially. What i would do is at least save half of your income and save it in your savings for the year. Go job hunting for freshman year and save as much as possible. Price may have the lowest tuition but it is still very expencive. Be smart about this, and just say no to that really cute blouse that you never wear. If you do decided to go out shopping at least take a night to sleep on it. Good Luck! Jessica

LaTricia

I honestly can say I wish i could go back in time during my senior year and tell my self to apply to every college. I would tell myself to get the best grades so I could be eligable for good scholarships. I would be pushing myself to put education first than work. I have worked a fulltime job while going to school and Cheerleading. I have pushed myself to work as hard as i can to get money to pay for bills, now i would just tell myself grades are more important to get me a higher education, than working as much as I do. I would support myself to hold my head up high even when it gets hard because in the end it would all workout. I would push myself into testing better and studying harder. Overall the main thing i would tell myself is to apply myself, and to apply for college's because its better to say i tried then saying i didnt have the chance to.

Amanda

The end results are not the main point. College is the time for you to learn what you love, meet new people, and discover yourself. Whatever you find interesting, run with it. Never limit yourself. Start your scholarships early because working to much limits your experiences.

Stevie

If I had the option of going back in time to talk to myself as a high school senior, there would be a substantial amount of information concerning college I would advise myself on: starting at a smaller college, tuition costs, jobs, scholarships, class sizes, professors, and class work/lectures. First, tuition costs are extremely expensive. Starting a college experience at a smaller college to afford tuition without thousands of dollars in student loans is a mature, and very advised action. An individual can receive all the education they need to obtain their general classes. Attending school full-time and working is tough, and it is possible, but not the most exciting college experience. The social aspect of college is also important. When applying for schools, starting with a smaller college makes you elegible for more schoarships from the school because more are available-makes life easier! Smaller schools equal smaller class sizes, personable professors, and lectures that are easier to understand and follow along with. Starting a first-time college experience at a two-year, or small college, is a smart move. With all the aspects that come with a small college, the good outweighs the bad.

Jake

GO NOW!!!! Go to college right after you graduate, don't wait! The longer you wait the harder it is to start back up, and you lose a lot of knowledge that you have gained in High School! Don't worry about having a nice car, it is ok to be a poor student as you go through school, because the less student loans you have when you get done the better! Don't be like me and be a 23 year old freshman, get you schooling in now so that when you get to my age you can be done! Just go do it!!!

Layci

As a non-traditional student I value my education more than anything. I would go back to my high school self and explain how important grades are. I would encourage good study habits and putting my all into things-because it does matter. I would explain that there is no fairy-tale. Success takes work and that work needs to start early on.

TJ

If I could go back in time, I would warn myself of all the hard work college brings. To be completely honest, I don't think I was ready for college. When I arrived at college it was a big wake up call. High school never got me ready for five page papers due in three days, or an essay at the end of every week. I would also tell myself, APPLY FOR AS MANY SCHOLARSHIPS AS POSSIBLE! You don't realize how bad you need the money until you get there and then it puts pressure on you to get a job. Working a job into your schedule, especially if you're really busy, is the hardest thing to do. Consider the workload you're carrying! Three to six classes with homework in every one of them and you can't do it until you get home from work, it's just too much. So I would definitely make that a point in the conversation to myself. Above all, I would tell myself to have fun in college. Make it fun, why regret some of the best years of your life, that just doesn't make sense.